Ramblings of a PhilosopherPoet

How to Sculpt Something Amazing

Writing seems to be a disease. I know it sounds pretty morbid to refer to it in those terms, but it feels like it. It’s something I have to do to remain sane. Being in touch with the Muse is something I wish everyone could experience. I don’t believe its god or some divine entity etching words into my head.

I think it has a lot to do with training your mind. It’s being sensitive enough to be quiet and still. Nowadays we’re caught up in the rush of everyday life. Planning things, meeting people, cleaning up, organizing money, buying food and the list continues as far as mundane tasks go. Everyone does something to relax. They have a hobby to take a break from things.

One of mine seems to be babbling like a maniac. Although I’m told that its not always babble. (I say this because I don’t like to take myself too seriously.)

Back to the Muse —>

There’s a lot to this topic so I’ll lay out the questions:

How do I find my passion?

Can I develop it? If so… how?

Is it worth it?

How do I find my Passion?

This sounds like the hardest step. I think it’s the easiest. I think so because people are generally modest. Everyone will have a job, possibly a family and friends, so to think of something that is a personal skill is initially hard.

This question is also one that puts us on the spot. So we get the jelly legs, and lumpy throat, clearly nervous of what to expose. There is some work involved in finding what you want to do. (I hope I’m not sounding too much like a motivational speaker at this stage.)

Just think of what is a) something legitimate that sets you aside from your peers, b) something that you enjoy doing (being good at some things doesn’t mean you enjoy them) c) something you’re not always doing, but once you’re into you are reminded of how much you enjoy it.

DON’T GET SCARED!

Many will look at a concert pianist (for example), thinking “Shit, I could never do that! That’s amazing.” Put failure out the way and just think about enjoying the experience. Once you’ve found something, you’re over the first hurdle! There’s time to plan out the next phase.

(Excuse this article if it happens to be succinct, but it this is just a few ideas thrown around.)

Can I develop it? If so, how?

Research

The first thing I’d recommend is research. Look into what you’re interested in. Read books, talks to pros, and google it. Don’t worry whether it’s lucrative or not, just concentrate on what your potential passion involves.

If it’s cycling find out about getting a bike, and whether its an off road one or not. Just as an example. Your research is crucial, because it gives you an idea of what you passion involves, and what it’s gonna take.

Practice it

You have to try and stick to it. This doesn’t mean doing it once a day every day, but put into your schedule more frequently. It’s also something you enjoy, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to get it going.

I’ll give an example from my side. I love reading. It’s one of the things that I really enjoy doing. This year things have been busy, so I been neglecting it a bit. I happen to get to work before everyone else, so I figured that I should take along some reading material to keep me busy. It’s kind of a win-win thing, since I get to pass the time as well as enjoy passing the time.

Get Mentored

Every master has a master. It’s a very common thing. Most people who are confident in their field, enjoy having followers (people to teach). Don’t feel too frightened to ask. If you are, remind yourself that they had to start out at the bottom. Two of the fastest ways to learn are being taught, and doing it yourself. The latter would most probably be the fastest, although advice and guiding can become invaluable.

Is it worth it?

This sounds like a stupid question, but I think we need to ask it. There’s always that doubt lingering in our heads about whether, it’s a waste or a genuine investment.

So is it worth all the effort? Should I take time to look into something that might not work out for me? Am I being unnecessarily optimistic?

I think it’s definitely worth the effort. Even if you don’t decide to make a career out of it, you’ll still have that feeling of mastering something. There’s nothing like doing something, enjoying it, and knowing you’re good at it.

To end off I don’t think that it comes do to being optimistic. I’ve made these suggestions because I believe that a passion is pivotal in our development. If we can turn our passion into a job, that will be even better. We need some internal growth. I find it important to develop a skill, because it, in turn, develops us in the process.

This is of course pure opinion, so feel free to pass along some criticism my way. I’m keen to engage on this topic. It’s something that’s been running around in my head, so I could be wrong.

Apparently the line between genius and insanity is a very thin one. So being clever means, you can screw stuff up at the same time. 😀